Trouble Is As Trouble Does
by SweetieLove
Summary: The world beyond Alice Academy isn't always what it seems. As Mikan and the gang pursue the chase to save the Imai siblings, they are faced with a mysterious organization who is relentless with their methods and a girl who borders the line between friend and foe. [Post-Manga] [Chapter 1: Transcendance]
1. Overture

**Prologue**

_Overture_

* * *

A lovely melody coming from the violin pierced the silent night of the organization's headquarters. As the notes turned into scales, scales turned into bars, and bars into a composition, the musician never wavered into delivering its sweet sound. Fingers gracefully guiding the dance of the bow and strings, the music soared into the air like a bird's first escape from the cage it was born into. Higher and higher, faster and faster, the bird could finally have its first taste of freedom in the air. How magnificent it was!

"It's time."

Two words. Two words were all it took to stop the music, to stop the careful weave her fingers have formed into the air, to stop the escape of the little bird who had wished to fly in the sky.

"Five minutes," the musician replied coolly towards the servant.

The musician placed the violin back in its case before staring at the person in the mirror. Platinum-blond hair with streaks of hazel and honey glowed softly in the moonlight as it lay just past the shoulders. Almond-shaped eyes that somehow changed color, from brown to blue to green to brown again, flickered back at the stars. A little buttoned nose that whose size was as small as her plump lips rested on a heart-shaped face.

She could have been mistaken for a middle-school student since she was quite small for a seventeen-year-old. Nobody would dare think she was an agent a lot of syndicates feared.

"Freisa."

The blonde looked from her reflection in the mirror to see a tall man wearing a black coat with long silver hair that reached down to his waist. He had the eyes of a predator and a sadistic smile that got used to the feel of shedding blood before him.

The girl looked up at her superior with mixed feelings of respect, determination… and fear. "Jin."

"State your mission, Freisa."

Trying her best not to let his voice get a hold of her, the girl stepped towards him and looked him in the eye. "Infiltrate the Academy, gather information regarding the test subjects and form negotiations with the principals to gain their trust."

Jin nodded with a devilish smirk on his face. He pulled a small, black box from his coat pocket and handed it to her. "You will communicate via this pair of earrings."

Freisa firmly got the box from his hands and quickly put on the pearl earrings from her superior. She was about to walk past him when he started laughing.

"What's so funny, Jin?" she asked calmly, taking note that the things Jin found funny are always the things she found the scariest about him.

"I'd just like you to know that those earrings you're wearing were made especially for you."

"Well, I'm just _flattered_."

"Oh, you should. They were made from your _sister_, after all."

At the word sister, Freisa's composure had started to waver. _That bastard_, she thought, _he always knows how to push her buttons. _

"Remember," Jin said as he escorted her to the car, "numerous lives are at stake here if you fail. Our priority is the development of the machine and antidotes you can procure. Understand?"

"Yes."

Once Jin opened the door, Freisa was filled with a great sense of relief. Relief that she was finally getting out of that blasted headquarters, relief that she can finally see what it was life in the world outside, relief that she was finally treated as a human.

Relief that she could finally prove herself to the Boss.

Freisa entered the car with swift movement, keeping her cool face intact, and nodded towards Jin before closing the car door. There beside her seat laid the files of the people she had to gather samples of and people she should have to be careful with. She pulled out the first photo and was filled with another wave of emotions.

_A mild interest for the sandy-haired boy holding a rabbit in his arms. _

"Where are we heading, Ojou-sama?" the driver called out to his passenger.

_A mix of worry and anxiety to the beautiful girl with brown hair trailing past her shoulders. _

"To Alice Academy, please."

_A growing longing to the boy with burning, red eyes. _

"It's been a while, huh, _Kuro Neko_?"

* * *

**A/N: **Welcome to Trouble Is As Trouble Does, my interpretation on what's gonna happen to the Academy after chapter 180. There's going to be some slight crossover regarding other manga/anime/pop culture, but it'll be done only for the sake of this story. Please don't forget to leave a review! :)

Gin (Jin) – a ruthless character I've based off from a very popular shonen manga.

Ojou-sama - Ojou-sama is the honorific form of ojousan, which can refer to someone's daughter or if you're trying to get the attention of a young lady you don't know the name of. In the latter case it's like yelling out "Miss!" in English to get a young lady's attention.

Kuro Neko – literally means "Black Cat" in Japanese.


	2. Transcendance

**A/N:** The _slight_ crossover begins! Thank you for the reviews, faves and follows. I truly appreciate them.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_Transcendance_

* * *

It was night time when Mikan was able to let the events of the past afternoon sink in.

After overcoming the initial shock, all the warmth and happiness in the world began seeping in her heart. For the past half a decade, she had wondered what caused the emptinessin her heart. She could never quite understand why she was bestowed upon a doting grandfather, a loyal teddy bear that acted as their housekeeper that freaked her out at first, welcoming friends when she transferred schools yet still feel like there was a hole in her that would never be filled.

That was, until Mikan felt warm hands surround her at the beach. They were hands filled with longing, with an unspoken _I miss you_ and _I was so worried_ _about you_ and _I'm so happy you're back_. And once the tiny stone, so small an ant could probably carry it, was absorbed into her body, she felt like the hole was soon being filled up. As friends from different circles appeared at the beach one by one, the hollow feeling started disappearing and was slowly replaced with more love and more happiness she wanted to share.

It was not long before tears started flowing down from Mikan's cheeks. She gazed up towards the moon from her bedroom window, worrying on how Hotaru was doing. She sacrificed herself for her happiness and it was the reason why this spunky teenager would do anything to pay her debt.

"I won't go back to the Academy unless I'm with you, Hotaru," Mikan silently prayed, hoping that even from far away her best friend would hear her. She felt the slight hint of salt on her lips and the tiny drops of sadness on the surface of her hands. Before she knew it, a pair of strong hands had enveloped her from behind and embraced her in a tight hug.

"Natsume, how did you…?"

"I had a feeling you needed some company right now."

"_Baka"_ was her only reply before facing her fiancé and returning the hug he gave her. Mikan felt foolish that she had been worrying too much about Hotaru but hadn't spared Natsume much of a minute in her thoughts. She decided to grip him a bit tighter, to convey to him that she, too, missed him so much and that she was so happy that they could finally be together again. And, somehow, he got the message without even her trying.

Natsume placed a kiss on Mikan's forehead before tilting his chin up to face him.

"As much as I want to take this further, Sakurano ordered me to get you."

"Why?" Mikan suddenly whined. Call her selfish but this was the first private moment they had in years. They had a lot of catching up to do.

"Because Hotaru's mom just received a letter from her daughter. She's in the guest room waiting for you." Natsume let go of his arms which saddened Mikan. She was about to tear herself away from him when she realized that he still had a firm grip on her hands.

"I can handle myself a lot more now, you know."

"I know you do," he swiftly answered, escorting her out the door.

"Then why?"

"Because I don't plan on letting you go, not when I just found you."

* * *

Tense was the perfect word to describe the atmosphere of the living room.

Sakurano had begun narrating the situation to the two family members present. Though the High School Principal didn't allow him to join the team at first, he knew that Subaru was a very dear friend to Sakurano so he gave him permission in the end. Mikan's grandfather, though supportive of her daughter's choice to chase her friend, was suddenly becoming more aware of the dangers she's going to face.

Their visitor, Hotaru's mother, was silently sitting by the table and sipping on the tea the moving Bear had made for her. Looking at the creature carrying trays and serving tea reminded her so much of her daughter. She decided to focus her attention onto her surroundings before the tears started spilling out.

Near the window was a sandy-haired boy with a bird perched on his shoulder. Though his face showed a calm expression, his tense shoulders and stiff posture betrayed him. Mrs. Imai remembered that he was one of the few people who still had memories of her daughter. She realized as she observed the boy petting the bird that she wasn't the only one who was grief-stricken about her daughter's loss.

At the back of the room was also a deep in thought Noda_-sensei_ who was being accompanied by the bear. Mrs. Imai noticed that he'd rub at the bracelet on his arm every now and then as he mulled over his thoughts.

After Sakurano explained the situation to Mikan's grandfather, silence invaded the room. It was then that the last pair arrived and that the tension was momentarily broken.

Mikan greeted her best friend's mother with a tight embrace and a warm smile. The mother, seeing her child's best friend like her own daughter, returned the hug tighter and whispered her greetings only for the teenage girl to hear. As the two reconciled for a while, Natsume motioned Ruka to sit beside him near the tea table where they both nodded towards Mikan's grandfather. The elder raised an eyebrow before returning the nod.

"I'm so glad you came to visit," Mikan finally let out as she slowly tore herself away to return to her fiancé's side, "But Natsume told me you came here for serious business."

And just like that, the tension in the room came back.

Mrs. Imai exhaled, "I am, Mikan_-chan_."

The mother took out an envelope out of her purse and placed it gently on the tea table, making sure it landed before Mikan.

"I received this letter from my daughter just the other day. To be honest, it felt like a dream seeing the two of them floating in what can be described as a time loophole of the sort," she struggled to compose herself, "Even though I only had the briefest of contact with my children, I can definitely verify that it was them who asked me to deliver that letter."

Mikan looked at the letter with worried eyes. _This was from Hotaru_, she thought, _it means that she's well._

"Pardon me for asking but," Ruka faced the elder woman, "why haven't you opened the letter?"

Mrs. Imai was waiting for that question. "It's because I can't."

All of the people in the living room gasped and were left shocked in silence.

"But how?" Noda_-sensei_ finally let out.

Mrs. Imai shook her head. "I have no idea either. I tried using various tools at home since it looked very simple but no matter what I used, not a single scratch could be applied to the surface. All that happened was Mikan_-chan_'s name appearing on the surface of the envelope.

"And that's why I decided to come here."

Numerous thoughts filled Mikan's head. She wondered if the letter contained where Hotaru and her brother could be. Maybe it was filled with all her adventures with her brother as they travelled through time. Maybe the key to finding them was there. Maybe she could somehow see them again. Maybe, just maybe.

Out of instinct, Mikan grabbed the envelope from the table and stared at it with hopeful eyes. Immediately, her name appeared on the surface of the paper.

"Maybe," Noda-sensei offered, "the seal could only be broken by you Mikan. Be careful."

Natsume glanced at the teacher before staring back at Mikan who was busy fumbling with the seal. He leaned forward, readying himself if ever the envelope was a trap. Ruka noticed this and, though he didn't plan on stopping his best friend, he directed the bird from his shoulder to the palm on his hand.

_Just in case_, he thought.

After a few minutes, Mikan was able to pull out the seal off the envelope and was able to lift the flap. She took out the small piece of folded parchment inside before placing the envelope back on the tea table.

The brunette took a deep breath before unfolding the piece of parchment before her.

"What does it say, Mikan?" Natsume asked.

Mikan's face was partially hidden by her hair. "_Baka_."

"What?" Natsume couldn't read her expression.

She crushed the piece of parchment in her hand and faced the group with frustrated eyes, tears cascading down her face. "It said 'Mikan, you are an idiot!'" She slammed it down on the floor and proceeded to crush it with her foot.

"I've been worrying about you and this is how you send an urgent letter?! I hate you, Hotaru! I hate you, I HATE you, I hate youuuuu," she paused before whispering, "I miss you so much."

The letter underneath her foot began to glow.

"Mikan," Noda-sensei reached out to get her away from the letter.

Natsume was quick on his feet. He quickly dragged Mikan out of the way as Ruka kept Mrs. Imai at a farther distance. Natsume was about to go help the teacher but then realized that he was being sucked into the letter. Mikan wanted to reach out to help him but it was too late.

By the time their eyes recovered from the bright light, the time travelling teacher was gone.

* * *

It was midnight when the members had started gathering in their hideout.

One was a bulky man with broad shoulders and a square face. Though he looked menacing to many people, he was more of a secretary to the man beside him. It was his partner, a tall man with silver hair and an evil glint in his eye, standing by the hood of his precious Porsche.

"You're late."

A young woman stepped into the warehouse nonchalantly, taking care that she flaunts her platinum blonde curls and the mischievous smile she always had plastered on her face. She sauntered towards the silver-haired man, making sure that all his attention was on her.

"It's good to be fashionably late once in a while, you know, Gin."

"Vermouth," Gin scowled knowing full well that she was just playing with him until they received the call from their agent.

"Are you worrying about our little kitty?" She asked as she leaned back on the Harley she stashed. Knowing her favourite escape vehicle was there reassured her that they had a mission that was easy to pull off.

"She may be new but she's got claws," the bulky man remarked. He was nervously tapping on his transceiver. "But I still don't get why she was chosen to infiltrate the place. Wouldn't the likes of Bourbon or Kir be better?"

"Bourbon's currently handling the FBI while Kir's on business with the higher-ups, Vodka," the blonde replied coolly. "Besides, I heard that that research facility owes her a huge debt that they weren't willing to pay when she was a student."

An alert from Gin's phone cut their conversation short. He opened it to see that it was a message from the operative they were talking about.

"She got in," he said blankly. "Looks like she'd be heading the operatives regarding the kidnappings and evacuation for the other test subjects those bastards failed to retrieve. Information will be sent to her the moment the group with the black cat returns there."

"What's the plan, _Ani_-" Vodka asked.

Gin quickly took out his gun and fired towards Vodka. He braced himself for the impact but realized that the bullet whizzed through his arm and hit a stranger that was hiding on a nearby tree. Said stranger's clothes slowly became soaked with blood and then laid down on the ground as the life was sucked out of him.

_These spies are starting to annoy me_, Gin thought and motioned for Vodka to contact the clean-up team.

"Standby until we receive Freisa's alert. Until then, we'll lay low," the silver-haired man faced the blonde with annoyed eyes, "Except for you."

Vermouth raised her hands in mock exasperation. "I understand," she replied and proceeded to rev the engine of her bike, "Try not to kill too many sheep while I'm gone. People might start to think this place is haunted."

As she rode off from the hideout, Gin sighed. He pulled out a small pouch from his coat pocket and decided to look at the contents. It was filled with different-colored stones, ranging from the purest black to varying rainbow combinations.

"Isn't that risky, Aniki?" Vodka walked up to his partner as he finished the call. "I heard that those stones are still in the experimental stage."

"The pills were still in the experimental stage and they turned out fine, Vodka," the man glared at his partner, "Besides, forcing these down on humans would be quite the entertainment." He placed the stones back in the pouch and stared at the moon.

"That person is getting impatient, Freisa. You better hurry up."

* * *

"You should be sleeping, Sakurano_-kun_."

Mrs. Imai went downstairs from the guest room of the Sakura household to get a glass of water. It was a surprise to her that she found the young man outside, staring at the moon, all alone. The moonlight made his hair shine like the color silver. She clutched her sweater tighter around her as the breeze started getting stronger.

His back was towards her but soon turned around so that they could look at each other face to face.

"I'm sorry," he muttered out softly with the saddest eyes the mother had ever seen. He'd been silent the whole encounter a while back because he didn't know what to say right in front of her. Now was his chance but still he couldn't find the right words. "No. No amount of apologies will ever be enough. I was there, I could've saved them, I could've—"

Sakurano was shocked as the elder woman approached him and held his hands.

"It's not your fault, dear. The Academy assured me that my children made their decision to save that young boy's life," she held his hands tighter and this time, she let her tears flow, "I only wished that I could've hugged them longer and told them I loved them more when they asked me to deliver that letter."

"I promise I'll get them back. I swear it on my life," the young man pleaded.

Mrs. Imai shook her head. "You heard what your teacher told you. You stay here any longer and there's a chance you'll never get back to the Academy again."

"But—"

"Sakurano-kun, look at me."

The young man slowly gazed at her eyes, eyes full of love and warmth and peace. "I'll be honest with you. I once hated the Academy so much I'd do anything to get revenge… but times made me realize that hate would damage no one but us. Peace only comes when you forgive and forgiveness only comes when you learn to let go."

She unclasped their hands and slowly made her way back to the house. Noticing that he wasn't following her, she turned around to give him one last message.

"Don't let their sacrifices be in vain. As long as you save the Academy, I'm sure they'll be happy. Now, get some sleep."


End file.
